Educate me

[Number 5]

I'm not that clued up on watches but i've spent a bit of time in here lately as i am in the market for an upgrade. I am currently wearing this:





I bought this Rolex Datejust (with blue face) in 2004 and have worn it everyday since. My checklist for my next watch is pretty short at this stage:

1)Leather strap

2)Budget £2500(ish)

Educate me and advise me on what i should be looking at

Edited by Number 5 on Thursday 9th September 23:49

[grumbledoak]

Pretty much the same criteria as me. I chose

[Number 5]

grumbledoak said:

Pretty much the same criteria as me. I chose

Very, very nice! Looks very classy...i'm off to do some homework

Edited by Number 5 on Friday 10th September 00:03

[Disco You]

My first suggestion was going to be an IWC of some form, probably a mark xvi rather than a chrono though.

Other than that, Longines do some nice watches for around that price iirc.

[Don1]

Be careful - this forum if full of people who do nothing but talk about IWC and Omegas (in the nicest possible way).

There are other brands out there!

Don't get me wrong, they are great watches, but keep your eyes, ears and mind open. I would also say that you get a huge amount more for your money if you look 2nd hand. chrono24.com is a great browsing site. Members worth talking to - Dominic H (Hackett Watches) is a very good man.

Other brands to look at:

(High Street)
TAG
Breitling
Omega

(Specialised)
Franck Mueller
Bell & Ross
Zenith
IWC
JLC
....and the list is literlly endless.

Have fun!

[Spice_Weasel]

grumbledoak said:

Pretty much the same criteria as me. I chose

^^ What he said. You can't go wrong with an IWC Pilot / Spitfire. Your friends will admire your taste, ladies will swoon at a mere flash of the applied dial and your colleagues will carry you on their shoulders through the office, chanting 'All hail the king'.

[andy_s]

I'm with Don1, also, straps are pretty much interchangeable so don't worry too much about that 'front end'.

[andy tims]

The "non Spitfire" 3717 is pretty damn nice too

[Don1]

See what I mean? To re-dress the balance...

[Disco You]

~£3k and they don't even have the good grace to put COSC certified movements in their watches. Heck the quartz watches they offer are almost £2k!

Nothing but overpriced fashion watches imo.

[Don1]

That's not the niche they live in..... I don't know. Why don't we all drive round in Jag XJ's, as they have won multiple awards for the last few years.

What? You don't like them? How strange...

[Stuart]

I think that the best advice right now is to go and look at the sort of thing you like. By that I mean the sort of face, the functions (chrono or not for that budget, most likely), case material (stainless steel or gold or bi-metal), colour of face (white or black), shape of case (round, rectangular, square). On the strap the advice is always to go

All really obvious things I know, but I'd find a really good local jeweller and browse all their stock, taking note of anything you see which you like. DON'T BUY from them on impulse, but use what you see to come back and do research online, talk to Dom about prices that he can achieve for you and start looking at other similar examples.

Online sites worth a look for inspiration include:

www.chrono24.com
www.tz-uk.com
www.chronomaster.co.uk

Plenty of different varieties. Get browsing, get inspired. Then decide that you haven't quite budgeted enough and that you'll squeeze it by just another £500. We've all done it....

[Disco You]

Don1 said:

That's not the niche they live in..... I don't know. Why don't we all drive round in Jag XJ's, as they have won multiple awards for the last few years.

What? You don't like them? How strange...

Not their niche? What is their niche then? I'd describe their niche as overpriced fashion watches, they are the price they are because they are "cool" not because they are good watches, ergo fashion watches, and bloody expensive ones.

You mention the Jaguar XJ. I'd make the comparison between an IWC and a B&R where the IWC is an XJ, whereas a B&R is a Ford Mondeo which has been painted chrome, then being sold for the same money as an XJ.

At the end of the day it's up to the OP what he likes and what he spends his money on, but he's asked for advice, and my advice is that B&R are not as good as the competition for the same price. I'd extend that to TAG and, to a lesser extent, Breitling too, it's nothing personal to B&R, although they seem particularly bad.

[Number 5]

Firstly thank you so far for the feedback, i called into a local jewellers today and test drove one of these:



A nice watch, felt nice on, good size, had that quality feel although the Bell & Ross and the IWC (posted above) seem to be in a different league am i right in thinking this?

[Disco You]

Raymond Weil are okay, but as you say, IWC are in a different league. Better mechanically and nicer finishing. As for B&R, well you can read my earlier posts and tell what I think of them, they'll use a similar (or worse) movement but probably have a nicer case.

[Don1]

Disco You said:

Not their niche? What is their niche then? I'd describe their niche as overpriced fashion watches, they are the price they are because they are "cool" not because they are good watches, ergo fashion watches, and bloody expensive ones.

You mention the Jaguar XJ. I'd make the comparison between an IWC and a B&R where the IWC is an XJ, whereas a B&R is a Ford Mondeo which has been painted chrome, then being sold for the same money as an XJ.

At the end of the day it's up to the OP what he likes and what he spends his money on, but he's asked for advice, and my advice is that B&R are not as good as the competition for the same price. I'd extend that to TAG and, to a lesser extent, Breitling too, it's nothing personal to B&R, although they seem particularly bad.

And *this* is exactly why I was warning the OP about this forum. Closed minded, obsessive about particular makes, with the ability to dismiss the entire watch making cosmos in a single gesture. (Not that you are, just that this forum in the last year has become particually.... generic).

By your own definition 'good' is a constatly moving goalpost, based on personal preference. 'Good' is a personal preference, and by mounting such a robust defense against particular brands, only proves my point further.

You like IWC. Lovely, great watches, doesn't do anything for me. I have come to think of them as people who own poverty-spec Porsches. It's a 'name' that should be recognised, rather than on it's own merit. Don't get me wrong, they are great in their own way, but it does get a little.... tiring.

The only thing I will add, is to continue the car theme further. Do you buy your cars new, or second hand?

Personally I buy my watches like my cars... pre-owned. This means I can take the depreciation sting out of the tail (tale? ), but still have what I want. Some pieces in the winder as well as the garage are only going to appreciate over time. Certainly not to Patek or red sub levels, but certainly enough to make someone in the future very happy. But then again I don't have a F40 or a Mk2 RS200 Escort in the garage (more's the pity).

Over-priced fashion watches? Or sensibly bought, enthusiastically owned, never going to lose money on something that is enjoyed day in, day out. The choice, is yours...

(OP, sorry this has taken such a tangent, the watch you looked at - who cares what watch snobs say? If you like it, get it. My own collection ranges from G-shock, to Franck Muller). As you can tell, I tend not to follow trends (TBH Disco, I got really annoyed that B&R got published in GQ, Esquire etc. I had hoped it would go under the radar, but obviously I'm never that lucky!).

[dom9]

grumbledoak said:

Pretty much the same criteria as me. I chose

See the wrist check thread!

[DS3R]

Having read the wrist check thread I'm personally turned right off chrono's.

I've looked at a few Maurice Lacroix's of late but have not researched their movement, I liked a few of the following as a little out of the ordinary maybe-

http://www.jurawatches.co.uk/Maurice-Lacroix/Maste...
Although I appreciate fully open watches can look like they cost £25 and are not everyone's bag.

This is 5* of craziness, I love it!
http://www.jurawatches.co.uk/Azimuth/Round-1/Retro...

Or something classy & simple.
http://www.baume-et-mercier.com/watch-collection/h...

Any feedback on the brands from those in the know?

[tertius]

The real problem is that we all have our own preferences and prejudices, and whether we mean to or not, will tend to recommend watches (or anything else for that matter) which tend to support them. I think the best advice is that from Stuart - £2,500 gives you an incredible choice, especially if you are willing to buy used, and so you need to look at a lot of options and then buy the one you want.

And so as not to miss the opportunity to display my own prejudices ... ... because I'm a movement snob at that price level an in-house movement would be an absolute essential for me, so makes like Tag, Breitling, Bell & Ross, Bremont, etc. would all be out of contention, instead I would be looking to by used from a manufacture like Zenith, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Glashutte Original or Girard-Perregaux.

In case it gives you some ideas, none of my watches cost anywhere near your budget.

[ShadownINja]

Number 5 said:

I bought this Rolex Datejust (with blue face) in 2004 and have worn it everyday since.

I like that.